Georgia 4-star EDGE commit Darris Smith will sign in February

On3 imageby:Peter Warren12/15/21

thepeterwarren

The expectation was that Baxley (Ga.) Appling County four-star EDGE Darris Smith would sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to Georgia.

That will not be the case. Smith announced Wednesday he is going to be signing during the regular signing period in February so he will get the opportunity to sign with some of his teammates.

Smith is the No. 135 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

“When you’re dealing with a guy like [Darris Smith], they never realize how good they can be. In high school, we’re trying to teach him to run routes, but he’s Adam Anderson and Leonard Floyd when they were in high school,” Appling County head coach Jordan Mullis told DawgsHQ. “That’s who he is. There’s no doubt about it. He may even be faster.”

He is ranked even higher in the 2022 On300, where he is the No. 112 overall player in the country, No. 10 EDGE in the nation and No. 9 player from the state of Georgia.

On3 National Recruiting Analyst Gerry Hamilton wrote about Darris Smith being one of the biggest risers in the country during the last release of the On300 rankings.

“Smith moves up 94 spots in the updated rankings,” Hamilton said. “The two-sport star doubles as a wide receiver, in addition to playing off the edge defensively. Smith has terrific height at near 6-foot-6, very long arms, fluid movement skills and closes in an instant. The combination of length, side and suddenness make Smith a high-end edge rush prospect in the cycle. Exhibits strong hands on both sides of the ball, and plus body control. Hunts contact and wins disengaging with quickness. Best football way out in front of the Georgia commitment.”